A Reminder to Support your local museum

Keeping History from Becoming History

The museum business is not an easy one, and museum visitors often have no idea what goes on behind the scenes to keep all that wonderful history on view and presentable.

In my hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the Alberta Aviation Museum is facing a quite uncertain future. The City of Edmonton, who owns the historically significant hangar the museum occupies and the land it sits on, have decided to put both the land and hangar up for sale.

While the museum has worked very closely with the city to ensure that the advertisement of sale clearly states that it is only the hangar and land for sale and that any buyer will need to honour the museum’s current lease until 2028, that only keeps things safe for a while.

The pictures I present here were from a visit I made to the museum in 2012, the last time I visited Edmonton. During that visit, I marveled at how far the museum had come since I had left Edmonton in 2004. A visit to the museum’s website or social media pages will show that they have certainly come a long way since I paid my last visit.

I remember when the museum was practically invisible, in a hangar across the now gone Edmonton City Centre Airport from the museum’s current location. I remember when the museum got approval to move into the current hangar and the excitement of the potential it presented. The museum has certainly made the most of that potential.

Edmonton is a major component of Canada’s aviation history and the Alberta Aviation Museum has done a tremendous job of presenting that history for many years. It would be a true pity if a group with the tenacity and passion this museum has were forced to close their doors permanently or to relocate to someplace possibly less ideal.

An accessible and well run museum is a privelage to any community, regardless of the subject it presents.

We should never take such places for granted.